Africa

An expressway to attacks on democratic rights! For democratic mass
working peoples’ defence committees!

The Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) sees the imposition of the state of
emergency in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe as another wrong step taken by the
President Jonathan government in its so-called war against terrorism.
Even if it curtails the violence that has admittedly taken over the
North Eastern part of the country over the last 3 years in the short
term, this is bound to be just a temporary respite. Far from a solution,
this declaration of state of emergency which is another name for a
brutal and indiscriminate military clampdown will most definitely,
especially in the medium and long term, lead to the escalation of the
conflict to an unimaginable proportion.

This is because just like other strong arm measures taken by the
government in the last 3 years, this new step fails to seek an efficient
solution to the root cause of violent extremism which is only possible
by resolving the crisis of poverty amidst plenty, absence of social
infrastructures and the alarming wealth inequality in Nigeria which
constitutes the fertile soil of alienation upon which violent extremism
flourishes and is reinforced.

Besides, the consequence of a state emergency, which according to the
President means deployment of more military forces, is the
intensification of the on-going militarisation of the country under the
guise of fighting Boko Haram terrorists. We recall that the special
military squad (Joint Task Force), which is more notorious for attacks
on democratic rights of the innocent working people than exchanges of
fires with Boko Haram insurgents, has been in the region for the past
years. We therefore hold that the emergency proclamation is nothing more
than deployment of more troops and tanks to the states and further
curtailment of democratic rights. It is indeed instructive that the
proclamation of state of emergency came few weeks after the massacre of
about 200 innocent civilians in Baga in just one day by soldiers. This
shows what the state of emergency has in stock for the ordinary people
of the affected areas.

The Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) is completely opposed to the
reactionary activities of terror groups like Boko Haram. We are indeed
against any act or method of individual terrorism in the struggle
against policies and conducts of the thieving ruling elites. But as we
have aptly stated in our last statement on the Baga massacre, the root
cause of the Boko Haram insurgency, as well as other violent crises in
other parts of the country, some of which were stated by President in
his speech, is the unresolved nationality question as well as the
widespread discontent over issues of poverty, unemployment, homelessness
and the unbridled corruption of the capitalist ruling elite in a country
endowed with vast oil and mineral wealth. Brutal military and police
clampdown cannot resolve this crisis, it will only escalate it. It
should not be forgotten that the 2009 killing of Boko Haram leader
Mohammed Yusuf after he had been arrested and paraded before the media
only served to strengthen the group. The truth of the matter is that
this government, firmly rooted in defending the current capitalist
system, cannot resolve the underlying economic and social causes of
Nigeria’s crisis while, as part and parcel of the systematic looting of
the country, is incapable of maintaining democratic rights.

Though now on much bigger scale, we recall that this not the first time
that a state of emergency has been declared on some parts of the North
by Jonathan administration. Since December 2011, 15 local council areas
cutting across 4 states including Yobe and Borno (others are Niger and
Plateau) have been under intensive military invasion and occupation as a
result of state of emergency but without being able to rein in the
activities of Boko Haram. We hold that while this current military
expedition and offensive in the northeast could temporarily tame the
situation, but as examples in Mali, Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, etc
show it cannot effectively stamp out insurgent and terrorist activities
so long as the fundamental cause of the problem is not addressed.
Besides, the news reports have revealed that the crackdown in the
northeast has started provoking surge in terrorist activities in other
parts of the north.

It is also instructive to warn that the state of emergency, which
arrogates power to the military, subjugates the civilian authorities and
suppresses democratic rights in the affected states, is an open
invitation, albeit inadvertently, to the military adventurers to take
political power in the country. It has given the impression of the
incapacity of the civil rule to tackle and overcome the security
challenges in the country.

Therefore, against its support for military offensive under the guise of
state of emergency, we urge the leadership of Nigeria Labour Congress to
support our demand for formation of democratic mass defence committees
at workplaces, communities and streets under the democratic control of
the trade unions and mass organizations of poor farmers and working
people as the first step in confronting the menace of Boko Haram and
other terror groups. Such democratic defence committees involving the
working class people, poor farmers and youths and cutting across all
ethnic or religious divides will have the duty to patrol and maintain
security both day and night, carry out surveillance and investigations
necessary to identify terrorists or criminals and mobilize en-masse to
liquidate them.

It is only if Labour leads such an approach that it can be possible to
begin to tackle the Boko Haram menace in a pro-working peoples’ manner
that can also prevent a nationwide descent into bloody ethnic and
religious strife. The reality is that the JTF, which has been behaving
as army of occupation and now that they have been further empowered with
martial law to suppress democratic rights, cannot endear themselves to
the ordinary people whose support is a major requirement to defeat Boko
Haram.

Having said the above, the SPN is also particularly in sympathy with
rank and file soldiers, police and other working class members of the
armed and security forces who are also victims of terrorist violence
created as a result of the policies of the corrupt Nigeria’s ruling
elite. The SPN stands with rank and file soldiers and police, many of
whom are poorly paid yet have bled and died in the discharge of their
duties. We urge the labour movement to issue a public appeal to the rank
and file troops not to turn their arms against the ordinary people under
the guise of fighting Boko Haram and refuse to attack the on democratic
rights of the working people. This however requires that the activities
of the police and armed forces have to be subjected to democratic
control of the elected representatives of the affected communities.
Labour should also show interest in the welfare and condition of the
police and armed forces by leading the demand for the rank and file
police and other armed forces to belong to or form trade unions through
which they can agitate for living wage and better conditions.

Also imperative is for the labour movement to come up with a programme
of action that recognizes the undemocratic nature of the founding of
Nigeria as well as the condition of exploitation and mass poverty that a
majority of the population is confronted with as the fundamental causes
of the rising spate of ethno-religious violence in the country. This is
important as a step towards curbing or totally stopping the menace of
Boko Haram and other terror groups. Such a programme will have to
include the trade union movement building nationwide mass campaigns and
actions involving strikes and mass protests that can unite working
masses and poor youth across the country to struggle against such issues
as unemployment, homelessness, education commercialisation, non-payment
of a living wage and the capitalist system that breeds inequality and
chaos.

The escalation of ethno-religious crisis in the country must be a wakeup
call on the labour movement and pro-working peoples’ organisations to
lead the campaign for the urgent convocation of independent Sovereign
National Conference (SNC), not at the permission of the government, with
the full democratic representation of the working class, the youths,
ethnic groups etc. that would have the primary aim of debating whether
or not Nigeria ought to be one and, if yes, on what terms and
conditions. In essence, the much touted unity of Nigeria should be
democratically negotiated and not taken for granted.

Labour must realise that the rapid deterioration of the situation is a
dire warning of how Nigeria’s crisis can quickly worsen the
ethno-religious divisions, and the repressive measures that can be
implemented by the government. Labour needs to act now and not throw
away opportunities like they did most recently with the January 2012
mass protest and general strike.

Only the working masses of Nigeria can unite the country through joint
struggle against the ruling elite. There can be no confidence in this
government which has, like its predecessors, acted to defend the power
and wealth of the elite. It has hardly "punished" the looters wrecking
the country while at the same time being prepared to suppress civil
rights, like banning the "Fuelling Poverty" documentary film on the
January 2012 general strike. To prevent total ruin, the labour movement
needs to come out fully as a social force that can lead Nigerians out of
the mess and chaos created by the ruling elite by convening such an
independent Sovereign National Conference (SNC) and building a mass
working peoples political party that can implement the resolutions of
such a conference by taking political power from the corrupt ruling
elite and forming a workers and poor people’s government on socialist
programme. As a clear step towards the formation of such a mass party we
call on workers, youths and the poor to join in building the Socialist
Party of Nigeria.